Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Follow-up thread of previous threads on this topic: Here the video interviews I did with veteran Stuka pilot Dr. Heinz Migeod on 31 May 2010 of their campaign in France, he was in 2 staffel I/St.G.76 : (best to select 480p on video menu for better sound)

1) Shot down over Belgium
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1X21-pUQsw

2) Feeding the staffel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndx5BcYmvYk

3) Stuka targets in France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Rv63_X7jY

4) Accidental strafing of civilians in France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNAfFOXpvVM

5) Miracle of Dunkirk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbuwHzW-LmM

6) Commander Walter Sigel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NLCl5MZtQk

7) Red wine in France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpYjlfaZM8U

8) Sweet life in France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZWsGbRQido

Any questions directed to Dr. Migeod are welcome as I see him often.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...8_860914_n.jpg

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Thank you very much for this upload, very interesting!

Smart order by his commander. Maybe someone here can put a date to this event and conform the number of Spitfires lost in this encounter.

3) Stuka targets in France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Rv63_X7jY

Best regards,

Thomas

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Thanks for the complement.

I asked Heinz today about this mission and he said again it happened when they flew a mission to Calais.

I had a look in his Flugbuch and found that he flew this mission on 26 May 1940 on Calais "Zitadelle" whatever that means. They took off at 8:40 and landed at 10:30. So I presume they should have been in Calais at about 9:30 in the morning.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5082903_n.jpg

If one can maybe establish from the Allied point of view the following:

1) Were there any British patrols on that day to Calais?
2) If so what time was this patrol in Calais?
2) If so what kind of aircraft; Spitfires or Hurricanes?
3) If so, did they report sightings of Ju-87's in the Calais region?
4) Did they experience any losses that day?

I think that it will not be easily reported that one of your own aircraft accidently dove into the ground but maybe just reported as missing (I could be totally wrong here)

We all know today that squadron reports were always a bit exaggerated from both sides: 4 enemy planes downed can easily be 1 or 2 , we must not forget that.

I have no experience to trace the whereabouts of the RAF squadrons on that particular day but I am sure someone in the forum has the resources to get this information?

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Great stuff. Is he out of the hospital?

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Yes and is looking good again thanks. Me and my wife took them out for a drive today and had lunch at one of their old time favorite restaurants in the town of Tulbach.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1240590_n.jpg

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Many thanks for sharing this with us !

Is it possible to see a copy of the page of his logbook for 12/05/1940, the day of the crash with his Ju87 in Belgium ? Any serial of the plane in question mentioned ?

Many thanks and best regards from Belgium,

Luc

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

He was shot down 12 May 1940 and his gunner was killed....I see they did not make many notes in the Flugbuch. I also see that they wasted no time for him to fly again; 2 days after he was shot down.

I have no information on his plane ID lettering at this time.


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3749433_n.jpg

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Good to hear that he is out of the hospital. Please pass on my best wishes for good health. Are there any specific Wr. Nr. or aircraft codes mention in his log? With the video interviews it would make a great aircraft model project.

Chuck Schmitz

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Many thanks for the quick reply !

Please also pass on my best wishes.

Best regards from Belgium

Luc

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Hello,

Very interesting (and living) story! His aircraft may have fallen in Dohan at 'Les Longs Champs' where a German aircraft seemed to have crash-landed. One airman (the presumed radio) died from his wounds and laid to rest in a nearby house.

Best regards

ClinA-78

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Hello...

I have been providing a little assistance to Biltongbru on his Migeod Website project...not much more than a bit of fetch and carry tasks.

It would appear, in my opinion, that it can be concluded that the French pilot la Meslee definitely shot down Heinz on 12 May 1940.

As Biltongbru has indicated at his Migeod website, the la Meslee documentation cites Boullion specifically as the location of the shootdown of a Ju-87. Heinz has recounted that he was shot down just North of Sedan. Boullion seems to be about 8.5M (13.5Km) NNE of Sedan. Dohan is about 3.2 miles (5Km) East of Boullion.

With the additional evidence of a crash at Dohan and death of a crewman there, it would seem the converging evidence is conclusive.

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Doolittle81,

While you may be absolutely right, I regret that the evidence available does not allow us to identify the French pilot(s) responsible with the certainty you suggest. No less than 11 'sure' claims were submitted by pilots of GC 1/5 following this action, together with 6 more 'probables', and Bouillon is cited in five of these. Lt Edmond Marin-la-Meslée claimed one Ju87 on the ground south of Bouillon his other two 'sure' claims in this action being even further south. Meantime, S/Lt François Perina claimed a Ju87 '8 km east of Bouillon' (confirmed by 47 ZOAE) which I consider the more plausible candidate for that flown by Migeod. Unfortunately, Cne Jean-Marie Accart's account of this action in his Chasseurs du Ciel (1946) throws no further light on the matter as he was not personally involved.

Congratulations to all involved in bringing this source to a wider audience through this forum. Excellent job.

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

The correct name is Frantisek Perina. Czech ace, with Sgt rank at that time. Usually flew as No.2 to Cne Accart.

Regards,
Michal

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

I see your point. I agree that my 'conclusive' statement was a bit premature, as i did not know about Perina's claims. I found an October 1995 interview with Perina in which he stated: “On Sunday, May 12, the Germans occupied Sedan. Junkers Ju-87s were already dive-bombing the airfield at Sedan when we arrived and attacked them. One Stuka was just in front of me; I hardly had to aim. In four minutes I got four of them, one after the other. Two fell in French lines and were confirmed by the confirmation officer, the other two came down in German lines and could only be counted as probables.” Heinz has not mentioned St.G. 76 having suffered such a catastrophic loss (11 out of 12) in conjunction with his shootdown, so I'm wondering if he were located elsewhere than in the midst of this particular flight/staffel of doomed Stukas. Perhaps we'll be able to ask him a bit more about the large losses of that day. La Meslee's victories, as you said, seem to have occurred more singly (geographically and timeline separated), one of which being cited as near Boullion. Could you provide me the source (a quote and reference) regarding Perina's naming "east of Boullion" as the specific location of one of his shootdowns? Was it in Accart's book? Could you provide a specific quote if so?

Thanks

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Claims submitted rarely equate to actual losses suffered and that is true of any air force. I./StG76 only had the following losses on 12 May 1940:

1./StG76 Junkers Ju87B-1. Returned damaged by Curtiss H-75s of GC I/5 during sortie south of Bouillon 9.00 a.m. BF Uffz Richard Kuy badly wounded, FF Lt [ ] Haller unhurt. Aircraft 10% damaged but repairable.

1./StG76 Junkers Ju87B-1. Damaged by Curtiss H-75s of GC I/5 during sortie south of Bouillon 9.00 a.m. and believed forced-landed near Geroldstadt. BF Fw Friedrich Petrick badly wounded, FF Oberlt Zaratza Unbehauen unhurt. Aircraft 15% damaged but repairable.

2./StG76 Junkers Ju87B-1. Engine badly damaged in attack from below by Curtiss H-75s of GC I/5 during sortie east of Sedan and crash-landed in the Semois valley at ‘Les Longs Champs’ outside Dohan, east of Bouillon, 9.00 a.m. Probably that claimed by Sgt Perina. BF Uffz Helmut Gäth badly wounded in chest – died shortly after landing, FF Lt Heinz-Georg Migeod unhurt. Aircraft S1+GK 50% damaged but repairable.
Helmut Gäth was originally buried in a field grave in an orchard off the Route du Sati on the north-eastern approach to Dohan. He now lies in Noyers-Pont-Maugis Cemetery, Block 3, Grave 1835.

2./StG76 Junkers Ju87B. Badly damaged by Curtiss H-75s of GC I/5 during sortie east of Sedan and crash-landed behind the German lines 9.00 a.m. BF Gefr Ludwig Kirner slightly wounded, pilot unhurt. Aircraft 100% write-off.

2./StG76 Junkers Ju87B. Shot down Curtiss H-75s of GC I/5 during sortie east of Sedan and crashed in woods near Bouillon 9.00 a.m. FF Lt Rudolf Schulze-Wimken, and BF Uffz Heinz Rolland both captured wounded – later released. Aircraft S1+DK 100% write-off.

Les Victoires de l'Aviation de Chasse Francais Vol.1 by Arnaud Gillet (Paginove 2003) p128 "8.25 S/Lt Perina Ju87 E. de Bouillon, 8 km. l'E. de Bouillon. Sur (47 Z.O.A.E.)". As confirmed by the 'tally' of GC I/5.

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Peter,

Isn't Migeod's plane S1+MK, vice S1+GK?

Regards,

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Larry is right.

If you look on the Migeod web site you that he flew
S1+GK during excercise training flights in April up to May 2
S1+MK during the early days of the French Campaign, until shot down 12-5
S1+DK after he resumed flight on 14/17 May (difficult to read).

Regards, Pieter

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Sorry gentlemen, S1+MK was indeed Migeod's aircraft on 12 May 1940. Digit trouble this end.

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Thanks Peter for the detailed source quotes. I think it unlikely to conclude with certainty whether it was la Meslee or Perina who shot down Migeod. But...the source quoted above does seem to have some errors, specifically on Stuka Code letters. As noted in the immediately preceding posts, Heinz' Flugbuch notes that he was flying S1+MK on 12 May when shot down.
Equally as odd is that the other shootdown, of Schulz-Wimken, cites the 100% write-off of S1+DK....yet, Heinz' Flugbuch shows him flying S1+DK beginning 19 May (and almost exclusively through Nov '40). I suppose it is possible that another JU87 might have been re-designated with the "D" between 12 and 19 May, but I would think that unlikely.


So...small mysteries remain, and the available historical documentation is often less than perfect. I'd say we've given this matter an exhaustive examination. Thanks for all the input.

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

P.S. One last comment
Peter,
Your earlier post, above (with my Red italics emphasis), leads me to now lean towards Perina...assuming that he himself specifically cited the location as being east of Bouillon. That's strong evidence.

Okay...I'm outta here... S! :)

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

Doolittle,

W.r.t. your 2nd last post:
On May 12 both the S1+MK (Migeod) and S1+DK (Schultze-Wimken) were lost, plus a third from the same 2. Staffel.
In the days following these losses the aircraft will have been replaced by new aircraft from the reserves, obtaining codes of aircraft that were lost earlier.
So somewhere between May 12 and May 19, the day Migeod made his next operational flight, a new Stuka coded S1+DK came available as his new machine.
Never at any time would there be two aircraft both carrying the same code S1+DK.

Pieter

Re: Battle of France video interviews with Stuka Pilot
 

At the Migeod website you will now find much clearer and complete photos of Heinz' flugbuch (and wehrpass). It can now be seen that he flew on 14 May, two days following his shootdown.

You'll also find typed transcripts of the Flugbuch and parts of the Wehrpass (in German) which greatly clarify the handwritten notations and comments in the documents. You'll also find English translations of most of the Flugbuch notations.

Tinus (Biltongbru) has put in scores of hours to present these documents as a useful research source to the community.

With regard to the specific events of 12 May, Heinz is being asked for additional comments/details.



If you've not visited the Migeod Site lately, I encourage you to do so. Heinz Migeod website.

You'll find that there are now more than fifty (50) Interview video clips, ranging in duration from 1 minute to 10 minutes. Heinz discusses the 12 May '40 shootdown in interview #1 and his final 11 Nov '42 shootdown and capture in Interview#48.
Much has been added to all the pages at the Site.